Dave Sanders stared out the window at the crackling darkness that surrounded the Majestic, only pierced by the refitted Royal Liner's lights. The entire Cortez system was shrouded in dark matter, and from the news reports that filtered in, so was all of Sirius.
This was bad for profits. All ships had been officially grounded in every major House (and, rumours had it, the Border Worlds), which meant no passenger traffic allowed. The Majestic stayed in space primarily because it had to, but also because its mighty shields and armoured hull could safely hold off the dark matter nearly indefinitely.
And so, Dave Sanders weathered the storm, feeling PanGal's profits slip second by second, and his anxiety grow at the same rate.