Bode Node

A Bode Node is a natural or artificially created object in realspace that emits a resonant frequency complimenting an identical object in extradimensional space. The resulting resonant annihilation creates a "Bode Tear" in realspace, and allows matter and energy to be transferred to and from pocket dimensions. Along with the Heinz Process, Bode Nodes are critical elements of the Heinz-Bode Technique for instantaneous interstellar matter transfer.

History
The original research on Bode Nodes was performed at the free research library at New Alexandria, which was famously burned in 100 SE by the Zarakkanian Empire. As a result, all primary documentation related to Bode Nodes has been lost. Considerable academic attention has been given to identifying the original researcher of the Bode Effect, as well as to recreating the process by which Bode Nodes function. Sadly, most theories on these subjects remain almost entirely conjectural.

Bode's Identity
Surviving faculty membership roles for the library at New Alexandria indicate four tenured professors with the name Bode, as well as twenty three adjuncts and 231 graduate students and research assistants. After eliminating those faculty who studied areas other than interdimensional physics, that list may be reduced to a mere 41 possibilities. Most writings on Bode's real identity have focused on Janelle Bode and  Quentin Bode-Harris, both of whom earned considerable fame for areas outside of their academic pursuits and both of whom had barely completed their dissertations at the time of Bode Nodes' estimated discovery. It is therefore my professional opinion that such theories amount to little more than academic wishful thinking. In all likelihood, Bode's true identity is considerably less dramatic.

The Bode Process
Casual observation of Bode Nodes in operation allows some very simple conclusions to be drawn about the process by which they function. Bode Nodes are large disks, roughly equal in circumference to a standard Packmule-class unmanned freight hauler and generally located in an expanse of unoccupied space outside the orbital trajectories of any planets in its home system.. The majority of their surface area is covered by the Bode Tear, a matte black, textureless circle through which unmanned cargo spacecraft are sent, bearing mineral resources, fuel, and manufactured goods. The freighers are then recieved at another Bode Node, almost instantly after they fully enter the sending node.

The speed with which Bode travel occurs exceeds any other known method of faster-than-light travel, and always occurs at the same rate, regardless of the physical distance between nodes. This speed is generally explained by extradimensional travel, the assumption being that Bode Nodes transfer matter into a pocket dimension in which all node locations occupy a miniscule physical space compared to their real distance from one another. The pocket dimension therefore creates "shortcuts" between locations in realspace, manipulating the spacial discontinuity between dimensions in order to facilitate almost immediate matter transfer.

Perhaps the strangest element of Bode Nodes' function is their universal intolerance for organic and biological matter. Early attempts to employ the Heinz-Bode Technique for the purposes of trade swiftly led to a galaxy-wide prohibition on the transfer of any product containing "organic or biological components, complex hydrocarbons or Benzene complexes" through Bode Nodes. Every attempt to transfer organic materials has resulted in its complete loss of cargo, though the effects of the transfer have varied wildly. Frequently, organic materials have simply disappeared in transit, while on rarer occasions, they have been found disintegrated, mangled, shredded or on fire. In perhaps the most famous example of the phenomenon, a rogue asteroid populated by Reticulated Hyperchickens passed through Sol 's Bode Node. The resulting explosion destroyed the Node completely and left a ragged, planet-sized hole in realspace in its place.

Historical Relevance
At the time of the Biblioclasm, Bode Nodes had already been placed at many major trading systems, including Sir'du, Sol, and Adelphia, and within seven standard years, the Orion Corporation resumed construction and operation of new Bode Nodes in the Zarakk and Ghad systems. Though it seems probable that the Orion Corporation possesses valuable information about the construction and operation of Bode Nodes, they have repeatedly refused all of my request for documentation, citing "trade secrets" and "proprietary information". For the moment, it seems, all official information on Bode Nodes remains obscured to the public.

Bode Nodes are a fact of life for contemporary trade, as they have for much of the last three Eras. The considerable expense involved in constructing and maintaining a Bode Node places it beyond the means of many planets, making those governments which can afford a Node into localized centers for trade and affording them considerable political and economic influence. Control over Bode Nodes amounts to control over interplanitary trade, and attempts to secure various Heinz-Bode networks were the primary strategic focus for all parties during the early stages of the Solar Revolution and the First Galactic War.

Bode Nodes in Popular Culture

 * The popular band Bode and the Nodes takes its name from Bode Nodes.
 * Organic travel through Bode Nodes was the premise of the cult science fiction movie Bodesliders, and later a television show of the same name.
 * Bode Nodes are a prominent thematic element in Ulfric Djorni 's controversial poem "Hebbit".
 * In the television show "Tanya the Hunter", several characters mention Bode Nodes at some point whenever they become tangentially relevant to the episode.