Abstract: A method of communicating between nodes in a network where a node receives a sequence of symbols that will form a packet on a first communications channel and has a planned packet that it would send on a second communications channel. A destination is encoded into an arbitration portion of a header sequence of the packet, the header sequence comprising a sequence of symbols. The transmission on the second communications channel is as per the planned packet, for as long as the symbols of the planned packet match the symbols being received on the first channel. An arbitration decision is made when the symbols do not match, with the node either continuing to send the rest of the planned packet, or the rest of the packet being received on the first communications channel.