Flood dispersal pod

A Flood Dispersal Pop in mid-flight.

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 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 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 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. 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 Human Entry Vehicle pods.

Trivia

• Flood Dispersal Pods resemble larger forms of the Flood growth pods/spores seen in Cortana.
• They are only seen in Halo 3 in the level "Halo". It is also unique for the Flood Dispersal Pods to come from the air instead of underground.
• They seem to have some sort of line that greatly resembles a Sentinel Beam following them.
• If viewed in slow motion in theater mode, the camera can actually go through them revealing that they are hollow, but as they hit the ground and pop, a flood combat form is spawned from the point of impact. (This was most likely done to make them less "glitch prone").
• These large drop pods resemble a small aquatic form of the Flood on The Oracle.