Flood dispersal pod

The Flood dispersal pod is a Flood dissemination mechanism. In essence, and in practice, the Flood dispersal pod is the equivalent of the SOEIV 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 armor and lead, the dispersal pod uses hardened Flood biomass to shape the pod and protect the occupant from the stresses of orbital deployment.

Battle of Installation 00
Large numbers of 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. The Flood infestation was also spread across the unfinished Installation 04B. 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.

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. They can also be seen in Halo Wars in the level Cleansing.
 * On rare occasions, a pod may land on the ground but will not open up.

List of appearances

 * Halo 3
 * Halo Wars