These crates are used by the Covenant much like the Gun Shelves on the Cairo Station. On Installation 04, the more prepared Covenant have these crates locked from human activities. However, on Installation 05 and on High Charity, these containers are left open. They carry any Covenant weapon and it is widely thought that the Covenant have a recharge device on these crates making them essential for operations. Others think that they are simply used to supply Covenant ground forces with weaponry. The crates are nearly identical to the early Covenant Communication Nodes, and are possibly modified Supply Cases. In the novel Halo: The Flood, Flood Infection Forms have also been known to hide in crates and attack those who open them, requiring inspections on all crates.