Contortrix class

The Contortrix-class was a Xindi-Reptilian vessel in service since at least the 22nd century. During the 2150s the Contortrix-class served as warships. When the class was made available to Federation Starfleet and the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Republic respectively, it was reclassified an escort.

History
The Enterprise NX-01 first encountered ships of the Contortrix-class during the Delphic Expanse mission in 2153 when Xindi-Reptilian forces attacked the vessel to extract their spy Raijin. Two of these vessels together proved an even match for the NX-class starship. (ENT episode: "Raijin") The Xindi-Primate scientist Degra had previously done some work on the power systems of these vessels, enabling his weaker ship to successfully destroy one that attacked the Enterprise in 2154. Later Commander Dolim commanded one of these vessels alongside the Xindi superweapon during the Xindi attack on Earth, and was challenged by Commander Thy'lek Shran aboard the IGS Kumari. Shran bought time for Captain Jonathan Archer, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, Ensign Hoshi Sato, and a MACO squad to board the superweapon and draw it away from Earth. Dolim transported to the superweapon to regain control, weakening his warship's shields enough for the Kumari to destroy it. (ENT episode: "Zero Hour") In the late 2150s, during the Romulan War, the Enterprise met two Contortrix-class warships. (ST reference: Ships of the Line 2015) Despite the Xindi Council having joined the Federation by 2311, these ships were not seen again until after the Federation-Klingon armistice in 2410. (ST reference: Federation: The First 150 Years; ST video game: Star Trek Online [Season 9.5])

22nd century
In the 2150s these ships were heavily armed with particle beam weapons and torpedoes, but were considered less formidable than Xindi-Aquatic scout ships. (ENT episodes: "Hatchery", "Countdown", "Zero Hour") They were equipped with sensor encoders that enabled the Xindi-Reptilians to determine what destroyed one. (ENT episode: "The Council") They were capable of traveling by subspace vortex. (ENT episodes: "Countdown", "Zero Hour")

25th century
The 25th century iterations of the Contortrix-class were nimble and designed for hit-and-run attacks. The crew complement was doubled to 50. It was designed to equip dual cannons and had a total of 5 forward and 2 rear weapon ports. Its special feature was a console to launch a Xindi weapon platform. Contortrix-class starships became available for purchase from the Lobi Consortium in 2410 following a deal made with the Xindi Council. These escorts were available to Federation Starfleet, the Klingon Defense Force and the Romulan Republican Force. Only officers ranked rear admiral, lower half, brigadier general or subadmiral were allowed to command these ships. In the early 25th century, the bridge crew included a commanding officer, two tactical officers (ranked commander and ensign, respectively), one engineer of lieutenant commander rank, one lieutenant science officer and one lieutenant of any department. (ST video game: Star Trek Online [Season 9.5])

Interior design
The Contortrix-class had at least seven decks. These contained many corridors, a cell somewhere on the ship's first three decks, as well as a dining chamber and the commanding officer's thermal chamber.