Phykons are the algae/krill equivalent in voidlife, which generally live in a correspondence zone and convert the energy of the gate into exoplasm. The exact mechanism is unclear, but they go dormant when there is no mass in the corresponding realspace, and give off light when "feeding." This results in a cluster that forms the appearance of a miniature star, and a comet-like tail around a planet in its orbit as the phykons glow and fade as the mass passes through.

Phykons are fed on by shoalers, as well as by certain types of voidwhales - both of which can devour swaths out of the stellar cluster, or consume the entire active flare around a planet. This is harmless, aside from the incredibly tiny chance of collision for a ship entering voidspace just as a whale makes a feeding lunge.