Mortis Spore-Cyst

Mortis Spore-Cysts are more like a piece of equipment than a soldier-creature unto itself, although it is considered a type of Construct like any other. They come in many sizes, but this appears to be a difference in genetic strain rather than developmental growth. Like most Mortis, they mature to full "adult" stages extremely rapidly - in this case, mere hours. Spore-cysts are cephalopods in form, having an oblong head / body covered in chitinous shells of small, boney spines. 13 large prong-tipped tentacles trail from them and a series of bladders filled with lighter-than-air gasses hang from their undersides. With the addition of a biological plasma jet, akin to that of a Mortis Raptor, Spore-cysts are able to fly through the air, strike their targets and explode with spectacular results.

Detonation mechanism
A Spore-cyst's body is filled a certain mixture of chemicals that create an explosive reaction when mixed together. Unlike the plasma projection organs of other Mortis Constructs, this reaction is not triggered by interaction with oxygen; although, because Directorate ammmunition is almost universally explosive, they can occasionally be detonated by gunfire. A Spore-Cyst's tentacles are covered in small barbs that excrete an extremely sticky substance, allowing them to wrap around their prey - and even cling to vehicles or aircraft - before detonating.

Target Acquisition
Spore-cysts appear to possess no eyes, although they have a number of auditory and olfactory receptors surrounding their bodies. They are quite sensitive and responsive to external stimuli, and appear to recognize sounds and smells consistent of Directorate military forces - the noise of engines and gunfire, the smell of human sweat, etc. Their primary means of locating targets, however, is by receiving the information from other Mortis via the psychic network.

Employment
Spore-cysts are disgourged by Mortis warships holding station in a planet's atmosphere as a praylude to ground attack. Thousands, if not tens of thousands, of the creatures rain down upon enemy positions, wreaking untold havoc. Spore-cysts are also a primary means of discouraging aerial attack for the Mortis, as clouds of them act as a very effective screen against approach by Directorate aircraft.