

In the words of Kharn the Undying, the Supreme Warlord of the Imperial Klingon Navy, "The new Federation ships were.

On stardate 2244.1, Ares took part in its first combat engagement near the planet Cygnus III during Operation Pegasus. Operation Pegasus would be the proving ground. Over a dozen other member worlds were waiting on the Ares class. they were happy to supply us the phasers." The first ship in the class, the USS Ares, would be assigned to Captain Kelvar Garth. In the words of Admiral Samuel Travis, "A Vulcan's gonna do what a Vulcan's gonna do. The Vulcans restricted their involvement to environmental, propulsion, and defensive systems, though there were voices that demanded the removal of Vulcan participation completely. The simulations showed promise, but its first real test would be on the battlefield. Ramirez's first action was ordering the design and production of Starfleet's first-ever dedicated warship: the Ares class. The Starfleet Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Conrad Slater, was replaced by Admiral Marcus Ramirez. Changes needed to be made to save the Federation. Entire systems were being seized, with the populations slaughtered at the hands of the Klingon Empire. During the first 24 months of the Four Years War, Starfleet was experiencing near-constant defeat at the hands of the Imperial Klingon Navy's D6-class battlecruiser.
