Interlude - Obadiah Stane. Turning point

Location: Unknown

Date: July 10 2007

For the last six years, I have been making steady progress in getting capital for my company and not only that. Tony was producing many ideas and not all of them saw the production stage. I was able to, let's just say, acquire them for myself. Nobody was willing to buy them now anyway, but I saw potential and in five or ten years, they will be selling like hot pancakes.

Stern proved to be a very long-term partner in that. I sold to his contacts some technologies that were way above what the US military was ready to buy. They were too expensive and niche applied, but Stern contacts were interested and willing to pay.

I got a good deal out of it, to my satisfaction.

He also put me in contact with people who helped me set up a scheme to make money on low-quality SI products. Before I did it, SI was recycling or disposing of it, to keep a reputation as high as we have.

Now, though, I was making extra on a black market with it.

At first, I was doubtful about making that step. If someone finds out, it would be too big to get unscratched. But in the end, it was a matter of properly setting everything up and making other people take fallout in your stead.

It was a good idea and a good income. I was not expecting them to complain about poor-quality weapons sold on the black market. Nobody expected me to sell high quality for the part of the price, right?

In the beginning, most of the stock went to East Europe. It was a pretty safe market to sell to, there was already enough Stark weaponry that somehow made its way from military supplies. What are a few more?

🪨

Location: Unknown

Date: December 5 2007

I was ready, well, almost ready, just a few more good deals or so of under-table dealing and I will let SI fall, leaving it behind. 

If I play my cards right, I can portray myself as one who made SI a leading company. Everyone will recognize that the SI survived for the last decade and a half thanks to my hard work.

I would enjoy that fallout tremendously.

I said as much to my, now-regular, golf partner - Stern.

"It is a shame, You put so much work into it," Stern replied.

When I said nothing, because I somewhat agreed, but I didn't see any other way, unfortunately.

"You know, I maybe can help you somewhat," said Stern

"How so?" I prompted.

"I have contact with questionable people and they are looking to get better quality products. They are quite willing to do anything for that"

Did he just hint to …

"It would be just an unfortunate event," he added.

"I will think about it" is all I said.

🪨

In the end, it was perfect.

Making that decision was hard, I had known Tony since he was a kid, But in the end, he owned me. I deserve SI more than Tony ever was. Anyway, he was wasting his life on women and alcohol. It is honest mercy, he is still grieving his parents and I just helped him to meet them a bit earlier.