Tarnished Blades The Silent Blades were a pirate band that was active during 0 BBY . That year , they were pursued for weeks by the Imperial frigate " Far Orbit " , led by Captain Vocis Kenit , before the pirates were forced to fight the Imperials in an asteroid field in the Outer Rim Territories . The pirates were all but destroyed by the " Far Orbit " complement of TIE Series starfighters . Following the battle , a few survivors of the Silent Blades renamed themselves the Tarnished Blades , and started to conduct piracy near the Ringali Nebula sometime around 0 ABY . History . The Silent Blades were a group of pirates active in the Outer Rim Territories in 0 BBY . That year , they destroyed several system patrol craft and starfighters that belonged to governments in the Outer Rim , prompting the Galactic Empire to send out the EF76 Nebulon - B escort frigate " Far Orbit " , under the command of Captain Vocis Kenit , to deal with the pirates after those governments complained about the losses . The Imperials tracked the Silent Blades for several weeks before trapping them in an asteroid field . There , the Imperials could not get at the pirates with the " Far Orbit " , nor could the Silent Blades escape . Kenit , ignoring his second - in - command Dhas Fenoep Vedij ' s advice to wait for reinforcements , sent the TIE Series fighter complement of the " Far Orbit " at the pirates . In the ensuing battle , the pirates were all but destroyed , though all of the TIEs were eliminated as well . Following their defeat , some survivors of the Silent Blades banded together and renamed themselves the Tarnished Blades . They started to operate near the Core Worlds ' s Ringali Nebula under the command of Shel Marcino , who was a mere deckhand when the Silent Blades were attacked . The Tarnished Blades vowed to exact revenge on Captain Kenit and the " Far Orbit " for defeating them . The pirates eventually found the " Far Orbit " in 0 ABY , which was in the Core ' s Ringali Shell . However , it turned out that some of the crew , led by Vedij , had previously mutinied out from under Kenit ' s control and captured the ship from the Imperials , partially because Kenit ' s leadership had killed so many pilots in the attack on the pirates . Due to the change in the frigate ' s leadership and allegiances , the Tarnished Blades agreed to help the crew , who had become privateers for the Alliance to Restore the Republic following the mutiny . The pirates did this as there was a chance of encountering Kenit again , the man actively hunting the rogue frigate . Organization . The Silent Blades were a pirating group . However , they were fragmented due to the attack at the hands of the " Far Orbit " starfighter complement , though some of the survivors were reorganized as the Tarnished Blades by Marcino . As the Tarnished Blades , the group only had a couple of light freighters , including the " Dark Vendetta " , as well as a pair of " Preybird " - class starfighters . Behind the scenes . The Tarnished Blades , and its predecessor , the Silent Blades , were first mentioned in 1998 ' s " The Far Orbit Project " , by Timothy S . O ' Brien . The book was a supplement to West End Games ' " " and was a sequel of sorts to the previous publication " Pirates & Privateers " , carrying on that book ' s theme by following the privateering vessel " Far Orbit " . The pirate gang was mentioned in Marcino ' s entry in " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " , published in 2008 .