N3-A2, also referred to as 3-A2, was a protocol droid that originally belonged to the criminal overlord Nirama.
Nirama determined that N3-A2 had become obsolete and decided to dispose of it because its memory banks contained sensitive data. However, a segment of Nirama's Organization that opposed his leadership, known as The Cell, managed to seize control of N3-A2 and reprogrammed it to work for them. Nirama's lieutenant, Ari Melast, who was secretly a Cell operative, played a role in this operation.
The Cell also manipulated Nirama's properties manager, Jobril, to ensure that Jobril would carry out The Cell's instructions while believing he was serving Nirama. The Cell intended to utilize Jobril, N3-A2, and several independent contractors who had previously been employed by Nirama, in a plan designed to weaken him. If the plan succeeded, Nirama would replace some loyal personnel at his weapon storage asteroid, Rothe Gate.
Jobril transported the independent contractors to Rothe Gate, where N3-A2 greeted them. The droid, ostensibly acting on Nirama's behalf, requested that they search for evidence linking certain "suspects" to The Cell. N3-A2 furnished them with a datapad that had been altered to fabricate the necessary evidence.
The scheme caught Nirama's attention, and the crimelord himself traveled to Rothe Gate. At that point, The Cell resolved to assassinate Nirama on the spot. They also decided to create a diversion by planting a bomb on N3-A2 and using it to eliminate the independent contractors, as they all possessed too much information. Melast personally installed the explosive device in the droid's circuitry, near her personal control chip.
Both the attempts to murder the agents and Nirama failed, although it remains unclear whether N3-A2 was destroyed in the explosion or not.
Around 32 BBY, N3-A2 was an antiquated droid with limited memory capabilities. Its movements were accompanied by constant creaking sounds, and its outdated voice modulator caused it to occasionally repeat syllables or words.
N3-A2 had yellow eyes, but after the bomb was placed in its hip, they turned green due to the explosive's nuclear energy source.