Switch, a protocol droid programmed with masculine programming, operated as both a crime lord and an information broker on the XQ2 Platform Sel Zonn Station in the years after the end of the Clone Wars. Functioning from a storage bay on Sel Zonn Station, Switch founded a criminal organization. He soon found himself in competition with Ganga Lor, a Chevin criminal, vying for dominance over illicit activities on the space station.
Around 17 BBY, Alderaanian Security contracted Switch to retrieve one of their agents, who had been frozen in carbonite during a Deep Core assignment. The protocol droid acquired the frozen operative, and Maya, an Alderaanian Security agent, was dispatched to collect the carbonite slab from Switch. After Imperial stormtroopers attacked Maya, a group of spacers met with Switch in her place, negotiating for the frozen agent's release. However, Ganga Lor and his thugs ambushed Switch and the spacers just as they finalized their agreement. After Switch and the spacers defeated the Chevin, the spacers journeyed to the planet Cato Neimoidia for the Alderaanian Resistance, a rebellious group led by Senator Bail Organa. A contact of Switch's obtained encrypted messages from the palace of Darga, a Hutt on Cato Neimoidia, and Switch instructed his contact to provide the messages to the spacers. Later, Switch dispatched Koroma Moro, a Twi'lek, to participate in the Cloud City Sabacc Tournament on Bespin, enlisting the spacers' assistance to ensure Moro's victory.
Sometime before 17 BBY, Switch, a protocol droid with masculine programming, established himself as both a crime lord and information broker on Sel Zonn Station, an XQ2 Platform orbiting the planet Brentaal IV. He formed a criminal organization, recruiting Gamorrean thugs and a Twi'lek as his majordomo, and employing the astromech droid R5-B8. Switch's base of operations was Deep Storage Bay V14, a restricted level of the station.
Despite gaining notoriety on the station, Switch successfully concealed his headquarters' location from most residents of Sel Zonn Station, as V14 was under quarantine due to exhaust conduits. To maintain the secrecy of his operations in V14, the droid had his majordomo deliver monthly bribes to the station's manager, ensuring the bay remained off-limits. He deliberately allowed the bay to deteriorate while placing an expensive japor ivory wood desk in the center, using it as his command post. Soon, Switch faced a rival in Ganga Lor, a Chevin crime lord who arrived around the same time. Switch also had dealings with Byra Fenn, a Human Doctor and operator of Delgas Medical Supplies, owing him favors.
Around 17 BBY, Alderaanian Security, from the planet Alderaan, hired Switch to collect and store cargo containing one of their agents. This agent was returning from a spying mission on the Galactic Empire in the Deep Core, frozen in carbonite to minimize capture during transit to Alderaan. Switch arranged for the cargo to arrive in a cargo bay on Blue Deck, an Imperial-controlled zone, believing the Imperials wouldn't expect contraband there. However, Ganga Lor grew envious of Switch's deal with the Alderaanians and plotted to eliminate him. Simultaneously, Switch was contracted to deliver Corellian ale to Alderaan, storing the ale with the carbonite-frozen Alderaanian on Blue Deck.
Maya, an Alderaanian agent sent by Senator Bail Organa to retrieve the frozen operative, was attacked by stormtroopers shortly after arriving. Spacers who aided her escape learned of the cargo and went to collect the carbonite slab from Switch in Maya's stead. Upon arrival, the protocol droid introduced himself and R5-B8, offering drinks from his collection. The spacers negotiated for the frozen Alderaanian's release, with Switch demanding 1,000 credits in return. Just as the deal was concluding, Ganga Lor and his thugs attacked Switch and the spacers. Despite Lor bribing Switch's thugs to underperform, Switch and the spacers managed to kill the Chevin gangster and his cronies. With Lor's organization destroyed, Switch gained greater control over crime on Sel Zonn Station.
Shortly after, Switch received information from TC-663, a protocol droid contact working on Cato Neimoidia as a translator for the Hutt Darga Jiramma Mionne. Igren Demos, Darga's Neimoidian majordomo, had secretly sent messages to the Imperial Inquisitor [Valin Draco](/article/valin_draco] while Darga slept. By monitoring communications from Darga's palace, TC-663 realized an associate was dealing with the Empire without Darga's knowledge. The translator sent copies of Demos' messages to Switch, but the information broker couldn't break their encryption. The spacers who had assisted Switch had joined the Alderaanian Resistance, led by Senator Organa, and were guests at Darga's palace. Switch ordered TC-663 to provide the spacers with the transmissions, hoping they could break the encryption and share the information with TC-663, who would then relay it to Switch.
After the Alderaanian Resistance released the captive Jedi Master Denia, Darga relocated to Cloud City on Bespin, and the Resistance followed. Switch's contacts in the city spotted the agents, and the protocol droid devised a plan to collaborate with them to ensure his chosen victor won the upcoming Cloud City Sabacc Tournament. At Switch's request, Koroma Moro, a Twi'lek starship captain who had previously hauled cargo for Switch, entered the competition with Switch providing the entry fee. The droid established a means for the Alderaanian Resistance to contact him via Cloud City's communications and sent a message to Captain Sirona Okeefe, requesting the agents contact him.
The agents agreed to Switch's proposal, with the droid offering them five percent of Moro's winnings if he won. Moro performed well, and after three days, Switch sent the agents software to install into the tournament's sabacc dealer droids, altering their programming to favor Moro. The agents installed the program, and Moro won the competition.
Switch hadn't undergone a memory wipe for a considerable time, allowing him to develop individuality. His protocol droid programming led him to aspire to sophistication, demonstrated by his extensive beverage collection and rare Japor ivory wood desk. Switch spoke with a Coruscanti-Imperial accent, enunciating like an upper-class Human to appear urbane. Despite his cheerful demeanor, he was uncivilized, valuing life little. However, he understood friendship and valued R5-B8. He was persuasive with good criminal acumen, using these traits to form his organization and convince others to serve him. He was interested in illicit activities throughout the galaxy, offering his services to anyone who paid. He also flickered his photoreceptors to imitate blinking.
Switch was covered in shiny, ebony-colored plating and fitted with standard protocol droid systems, including a processor, vocabulator, translation unit, and hand appendages. He carried an audio recorder, hold-out blaster, comlink, and datapad.
Switch was created by Rodney Thompson and appeared in The Traitor's Gambit, the first adventure in the Dawn of Defiance roleplaying campaign. He was later mentioned in A Wretched Hive and The Queen of Air and Darkness, also by Thompson. In The Traitor's Gambit, players roleplay as the spacers negotiating with Switch, and upon arriving at Switch's cargo bay, they can fight his Gamorrean guards, which doesn't bother Switch. Players have negotiation options, potentially reducing the fee by 200 credits by providing information. They can also bribe him to learn about the cargo, and if they own a starship, Switch offers to pay them to deliver Corellian ale to Alderaan.
If players fail to persuade Switch to reveal the cargo's location, he provides it after Ganga Lor's attack. If any characters are injured, Switch calls in a favor with Byra Fenn for free healing. Switch can be destroyed during the attack, but this is likely non-canon, as A Wretched Hive and The Queen of Air and Darkness indicate his survival. After concluding business, Switch can contact Sirona Okeefe to arrange transport for the spacers.
In The Queen of Air and Darkness, Switch asks the players to help Koroma Mora win the Cloud City Sabacc Tournament, which they can accept or reject. If they agree, Switch initially offers five percent of Moro's winnings, which can be negotiated up to seven percent. If the players fail to inform Moro they're working for Switch, the droid informs Moro that the agents will assist him. Moro can then win the tournament.