Seeder Ship

"This is the only Hive launch site we've ever discovered, but there hasn't been a report of a Seeder taking off or landing on Earth since Crota was destroyed. This one's been recently activated. Oryx hasn't given up on a Hive infestation of Earth."

- The Ghost.

Seeder Ships, also known as Seeders, are Hive spacecraft that are sent to penetrate the surface of a terrestrial body for colonisation. They are strategically used to insert Hive warriors into a designated location and their presence often signifies Hive infestation of an area.

History
The earliest documented use of Seeders can be traced back to when Oryx, the Taken King deployed them in his siege against the Gift Mast. Oryx commanded his broods to secretly colonise on the rubbles of a nearby black hole accretion disc. Once infested, Oryx then hurtled the comets onto the worlds of the Harmony race. Seeders were then used to infiltrate the Harmony worlds which allowed his broods and court to grow in strength and successfully topple the Gift Mast.

During the early Golden Age of Humanity, Crota, Son of Oryx sought to destroy the Traveler, and its Light, and led a Hive contingent to the Moon. They quickly hollowed out the Moon to create a massive underground fortress known as the Hellmouth and built a Seeder Ship launch base within the Temple of Crota.

From this staging ground, the Hive sent Seeder Ships to Earth with the intention of colonising the planet and first deployed their ships to the Eastern Flood Zone. The Hive terrorised the local population and forced the gaunt survivors to refuge within the ruins and beg for protection to a fireteam of Guardians. The fireteam discovered the Seeder Ships at the Rusted Lands and clashed against a Wizard and her Knights at night. Only one surviving Hunter returned to warn the Last City of the first Hive invasion of Earth.

When the Vanguard failed to reclaim the Moon at the Great Disaster, the Hive launched more Seeders onto the Cosmodrome and targeted their efforts against Rasputin. The Hive had previously battled the Warmind in many fronts and successfully infested the Cosmodrome with the broods of Hidden Swarm and Blood of Oryx. Their reemergence was discovered by the newly risen Guardian who later informed the City of the troubling news. More Seeder Ships were reported to hit the Cosmodrome and the Hive even swarmed the Himalayas.

The Guardian then traveled to the Moon and discovered a launch base inside the Temple of Crota with more Seeder Ships ready to invade Earth. Ghost noted that the Hive had been using those ships to seed Earth for centuries. Following the death of Crota, Oryx sought vengeance against those who killed his son and deployed hundreds of Seeders on Ceres and two hundred Seeders on Pallas. When the Guardian returned to the Moon, Ghost noted the Seeder Ships were recently activated as Oryx never gave up his plans on invading Earth with more Hive.

The demise of Oryx saw a decrease in the use of Seeder Ships as the Hive forces of Savathûn and Xivu Arath opted to use other means to invade the Solar System. When the Guardian revisited the Moon to investigate the presence of Nightmares, the once carefully maintained Seeders Ships within the Temple of Crota collapsed into disrepair and were abandoned by the surviving broods. Later, The Crow discovered a nodule of Hive technology that bared a resemblance to components he found atop of Seeder Ships. This technology he uncovered was a Cryptolith Lure, suggesting that Seeders may have been used to spawn Cryptoliths. However, Xivu Arath would use Seeder Ships for her second assault of the Bray Exoscience facility on Europa.

Design


Seeders can be differentiated into two variants, the large Seeder Ship and the small Seeder Pod. The larger vehicle has been documented carrying a Wizard and a swarm of Knights, whilst the small pod can carry smaller infantry such as Thralls and Cursed Thralls.

Much like other Hive ships, Seeders are unique for their unorthodox shape. They are geometrically quadrilateral in a shape that features an elongated spire that emits a green or blue glow and a central hub that can house Hive warriors. This bottom half of the Seeder has four doors that allow the Hive to board the ship and operate it from a terminal within. These doors are then sealed shut with Hive Runes and opened when they crash onto a terrestrial body, whereby the Hive spread their infestation by carving tunnels from the doors. Evidence of this can be seen by the Seeder located at the Grottos.

The Seeders found inside the launch base of the Temple of Crota are connected with intricate Hive wiring that prepares them for launch. They have also been observed to have four big exhausts that emit steam and may be the source of the vehicle's propulsion. Whilst it is unknown what composite is used to create Seeders, they appear to use the same material that created Tomb Ships and are carved with a Seeder sigil on the outside. The hull appears to be invulnerable, as Seeders remain intact when they crash onto surfaces and demolish buildings in its wake.

Gallery
Seeder Ships on Moon

List of appearances

 * Destiny
 * The Dark Below
 * The Taken King
 * Destiny 2
 * Forsaken
 * Shadowkeep
 * Season of the Seraph