I understand your perspective. Consider politics and 2 against 1. It seems to me that LQMT has been running from VPC since the beginning ( threat of buyout, etc,). They'll have to give him something, e,g. First right of refusal, etc.
Securing profitable business and manufacturing in this arena are two different things. Lqmt was short sighted in selecting them, but desperate times obviously led to not the greatest choice, or else they would have ended up with a more reputable manufacturer.