Flood dispersal pod

The Flood Dispersal Pod is a Flood dissemination mechanism seen only in Halo 3 and rarely in Halo Wars on the level Cleansing.

In essence, and in practice, the Flood Dispersion Pod is the equivalent of the HEV drop pods used by UNSC ODSTs and Orbital Insertion Pod used by Sangheili Special Forces. Rather than encasing its occupant(s) in protective Titanium-A and lead, the dispersal pod uses hardened 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 army at 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 04 (II). It is also 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. The pod's design might simply be based on captured knowledge of Human Entry Vehicle pods and the Covenant Orbital Insertion Pods.

Design
Dispersal Pods are misshapen lumps of Flood biomatter roughly the size of a human SOEIV. The pod bears several spikes on its front, while the rear trails several tentacles and what appears to be a stream of exhaust. It is possible that the pod is capable of limited self-propulsion, expelling gases from the rear and adjusting the stream of exhaust using its tentacles.

Each pod can carry one or two Combat Forms, which emerge from the pod upon impact after the outer casing shatters.

Trivia

 * They are only seen in Halo 3 in the levels The Covenant and Halo.
 * On rare occasions, a pod may land on the ground but will not open up.

List of appearances

 * Halo 3
 * Halo Wars