When they all went to grab their families and run, Jake waited until last to rescue his. What if he didn't? How do you think the rest of the series might have gone if Jake rescued Tom and his parents first?
It was the best time to rescue Tom, since it was the last good chance he had of doing it.
Tom would have never run off with the morphing cube. The Blade Ship may not have been taken, since if Rachel was on the Pool Ship they probably would have gotten to the guns sooner.
So how much do you think the books after the families were gathered up would change if Jake rescued his family first?