Cosmosynth

Cosmosynths are artificial spacecraft-creatures created by the ancient Hexamite empires. Techno-organic creations blurring the line between robot and engineered life-form, vast numbers of them still roam the ruins of Hexamite space.
Ranging size from tiny to colossal, different "species" of cosmosynths fit together into a pseudo-ecology encompassing most of Hexamite space. Some of them will feed on sunlight, asteroidial regolith, or derelict Hexamite structures, assimilating the material to grow, repair, and replicate, and these creatures often fall victim to predators, who themselves must be wary of even more formidable foes. Ships venturing into these regions from Starweb space must take precautions lest they too wind up as prey.
Cosmosynths usually feature silvered hull-skin of thermal superconductor to counter laser fire, arrays of sensor-eyes, manipulation-tendrils, and are propelled by gravitational impellers. It it unknown to what degree cosmosynths were designed or allowed to evolve, it is likely they served the Hexamites in many different roles ranging from security to resource recycling. With their creators' civilization now gone, scores of them continue to roam the ruins of their space.
Multiple different types of cosmosynth have been documented and categorized, such as:

• Limpets: Shaped like flat cones, scavengers which attach to asteroids or derelict structures and break them down for constituent elements.
• Lamprey: Long and thin, with a cluster of tentacles topped by a head with a circular mouth on one side. They attach themselves to operating spacecraft or other cosmosynths to parasitize.
• Kraken: One of the most formidable types, a squid-like predator capable of giving military-grade warships a run for their money. They chase down, disable, and consume prey for fuel and repair material. Nevertheless, Krakens are hunted for the gravitational conversion metrics they use for propulsion.
• Leviathan: Near-legendary for the simple reason that few who encounter one return to tell of it, Hexamite Leviathans are said to be kilometers-long colossi from which all others flee, capable of terrorizing an entire system.