This happens only on extremely rare occasions, usually because the Flood is seldom loose on a large enough scale to allow Proto-Graveminds to grow large enough to become a Gravemind. Graveminds are created once a Proto-Gravemind reaches a certain "critical mass" and develops a centralized intelligence. The Proto-Gravemind must grow incredibly in size to reach its next stage of development, known as a Gravemind, a near-omniscient Flood form made of thousands of host bodies infused with the knowledge of each host that was used to make the Gravemind. They use some of their hosts' legs as a means to support themselves, and one can slightly see some of the recent hosts' bodies embedded in the Proto-Gravemind's mass, albeit deformed. Proto-Graveminds have also never been observed to keep any of their hosts' weapons. In fact, even when John-117 physically punched through the side of the Proto-Gravemind present aboard the Truth and Reconciliation during the Battle of Installation 04, the Flood form did not react at all it is likely that locomotion is only gained after the transformation into a true Gravemind is complete. They have never been observed to move on their own, even when other Combat Forms are fighting nearby. Unlike all other known Flood forms, it is apparently immobile and passive in combat. Since the Proto-Gravemind does not appear to move at all, it is likely that it directs nearby Combat Forms to pilot the ships, similar to the way a fully-formed Gravemind will direct Flood forms to perform complex tasks or use the Flood Super Cell to pilot the ship. While Combat Forms can easily, albeit clumsily, pilot smaller vehicles like Warthogs, Scorpions, Wraiths, and Ghosts (at least once the Flood infection has reached the Coordinated Stage), Proto-Graveminds are needed for larger vehicles such as a spaceship. Proto-Graveminds are only seen piloting more complex vehicles that require trained pilots. As the Prophet species are considerably weaker and frailer than many other Covenant species, the Prophet would not be a suitable creature to create a Combat Form and their intelligent nature likely make them more suitable candidates as the main host of a Proto-Gravemind. On the other hand, infected Prophets have demonstrated the ability to act the same way that they did before they were assimilated. Other infected forms are subjected completely to the control of the Infection Form within them and generally display none of the former personality traits of their hosts. The biggest difference between the infected San'Shyuum and that of the conventional Combat Form is that examples seen thus far have maintained their personalities to an extent. Ī notable feature in the creation of a Proto-Gravemind is that San'Shyuum are often used to form the core "mind" of the Brain Form, such as Regret, or the Minister of Etiology. Only after the host is stripped of all knowledge is the host killed by the Proto-Gravemind, although it is sometimes possible for a host to die before the Flood form has a chance to assimilate all of its memories. The form tortures the host's mind with a loud buzzing sound, thus erasing all thought. Rather than completely destroying a victim's consciousness, as a normal Flood form generally does, it interrogates its victims slowly, allowing their consciousnesses to feed it information. It appears that when an advanced task is at hand for the Flood, such as piloting a starship, they will create a Proto-Gravemind to do that task by merging as many hosts as possible with that knowledge, such as former pilots and officers. Proto-Graveminds are a coagulation of multiple other Flood forms all merged. The Prophet of Regret being assimilated into the Gravemind, the ultimate evolution of the Proto-Gravemind (note the human cranium at the top left).
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