Vesta is my vote. If you like speed and maneuverability, it will hands down beat the Atrox and Oddy (even Chevron separated). If you want tankiness, though, I'd wait a bit before deciding, the hull seems a bit weak on the Vesta but that could be made up with the Vesta's consoles or the higher shield mod. The Oddy and Atrox are definitely tanky, with thick hull and good shield mods.

As for the 'Sci Scort' suggestion, if you want firepower and Sci abilities the Vesta will be the way to go. Up until the Vesta it was pretty much Sci BOff abilities or DPS, with little in-between. I've ended up having to fly an Armitage with my Sci to be able to contribute DPS, even though I like Sci BOff abilities, to be able to handle random group STFs. With the Vesta, a quick BOff seating change I can go from Sci ship to something resembling escort firepower to be able to handle what comes my way.