Flood dispersal pod

The Flood Dispersal Pod is a Flood dissemination mechanism seen only in Halo 3.

In essence, and in practice, the Flood Dispersion Pod is the equivalent of the HEV drop pods used by UNSC Orbital Drop Shock Troopers and Orbital Insertion Pod used by Sangheili Special Forces. Rather than encasing its occupant(s) in protective Titanium-A and lead, the dispersal pod used Flood Biomass to shape the pod and protect the occupant from the stresses of orbital deployment.

Large dispersal Pods were deployed by High Charity as the Gravemind arrived with its armada at the Installation 00, scattering Flood forces all over the artificial world, delivering significant numbers of Combat Forms to the surface. It is presumed that the Flood infestation was spread across the Unfinished Installation. It is unlikely that the pods have a navigation system. Later, after the destruction of High Charity, more pods were used to deliver Combat Forms to the Control Room of the New Halo built by the Ark, in an attempt by the Gravemind to stop the Halo's activation. They are similar to the proto flood species in appearance, but obviously not in size. It might be possible that proto flood evolve into dispersal pods. Or the pods might simply be based on captured knowledge of HEV pods.

Trivia

 * Flood Dispersal Pods resemble larger forms of the aquatic Flood spores seen in The Arbiter.