Latin: Inferi Redivivus / Covenant: The Parasite / Human: The Flood
Brief Overview:
- A recently discovered parasitic species that thrives off of calcium-based life forms, and can spread at incredible rates with sufficient biomass. They are an ever-hungry race that's constantly searching for new hosts to infect and can easily infect an entire planet, overwhelming any defenses with great strength and numbers. They merge other races into their own with physiological and neurological mutations, capable with both living bodies or corpses.
Environments:
- The Flood Super Cell is a powerful organism that can spread amazingly fast withing living creatures and environments as well, altering an entire planet's structure if given the chance. Their biomass, given enough resources and time, can cover all surfaces and begin functioning on its own to produce more Flood forms and create calcium reserves for future expansion, almost like a community.
History:
We first encountered them on the ring structure known as Installation 04 (Alpha Halo), when the Covenant accidentally released them from Forerunner containment facilities and they spread quickly. Few UNSC records survived upon the destruction of the UNSC cruiser Pillar of Autumn and the nearly full loss of its crew. The input from the ship AI known as Cortana on the species was invaluable in learning the danger they posses.
We crossed paths with this horrible force once again when the UNSC frigate In Amber Clad followed a Covenant capital ship to Installation 05 (Delta Halo), where we again faced heavy losses. Here, however, is where we first discovered the intelligent controller of the Flood, known as the Gravemind.
Variants:
Infection Form ~ The most commonly encountered Flood form to date, which moves and attacks in large swarms, since they're incredibly fragile. It's the most basic of all, and is abundant because it requires so little in resources for the Flood to produce. This creature penetrates our flesh, taps into our spinal cord, and alters our chemical and physical makeup. They can either be created via a hosts body, or within Flood-created sacs produced during an extensive Flood infection.
Tactics - In small numbers, they pose a small threat to shielded soldiers. Dealing with bigger foes is the best suggestion before finishing off the infection forms with automatic, medium range weapons.
Infection Sacs
Marine Attack
Carrier Form ~ A seemingly harmless yet very dangerous form of the Flood spawn. These creatures are slow, bloated sacs of flesh that nurture dozens of infection forms within themselves. The carrier forms themselves are likely produced from lower ranking Covenant soldiers, such as Grunts or Jackels, though could also be produced from any infected host that doesn't have the calcium reserves to be configured into a combat form. They are incredibly slow, which leads some to ignore them while focusing on combat forms. These fleshy masses can easily rupture from the slightest damage, spewing a nauseous gas that stuns nearby enemies, the blast itself also causing harm, as well as scattering dozens of infection forms in all directions.
Tactics - A single grenade of any sort that will stick to its target will destroy it and its infection swarm within. If you don't have that option, blowing them up from a distance so you can take out the infection forms safely is the best route.
Ruptured Carrier Form
Combat Form ~ These creatures are fearsome indeed, as they can also embody our own allies. Our soldiers are incredibly weak against these forces, due to our lack of Flood oriented armor, although prototypes are in development. Only three separate host bodies are so far acceptable to the Flood for such a form, taking over Humans, Elites, and Brutes. Human forms generally use their increased strength and agility to their advantage and lunge toward their targets with sudden bursts of speed. Elites are the most agile forms, capable of dodging explosives and dangerous due to their regenerating shields. Brutes are usually easy to dispose of, since they run straight toward their targets and are easy enough to spot. They're not ever to be underestimated, of course, as they still have great strength and all of these forms have the ability to wield multiple weapons.
