The choice is maddening.

On the one claw, he'd be a fool to turn down this opportunity. This station is the [i]definition[/i] of bad luck, the personification of every bad thing that could happen to an engine. And what's worse, it's something he can't fix, should not fix, because if he does then all the bad luck stored here could get out and affect every other crew on the lines. Escaping as quickly as possible is the only option.

But what kind of lesson would it teach Sasha if he let her build the head of steam she wants? Let her flee the station, leaving Ailee and Lucien in a lurch? Would she learn the essential calculations of who to save, how many to save, at what point leaving one or two behind to save the rest become acceptable losses? Would she simply become a coward who flees whenever things get rough?

Ultimately, it's the look on Jackdaw's face that gets him to shake his head. Leaving without Ailee's gonna be a hard sell. Lucien maybe slightly less so, but college friends stick together. 

"Have you seen any of the others? Our new friend here said there were a number of factions to check with."