This is a very tense story. Jam’s anxiety about the mission in general is very clear and she has very human reactions. There’s a lot of build-up, and I like that certain aspects of the process are given some explanations, such as the backup tanks. I also like that the characters are given some distinct traits, and mutual interests.
Things like soap operas, anime, and memes being mentioned in a near-22nd Century time period has me conflicted. I’m not sure they fit, but at the same time, I think it’s possible they would still be around and referred to. I think it would have sounded more organic with a bit more in-universe description about how culture has progressed. Also the part about Jam’s favorite character from the soap opera and the self-insert was very funny.
I had a hard time following the story unfortunately, especially when it came to keeping track of time. The paragraphs are very short and spaced out, and events happen quite rapidly. As such, I spent a good chunk not really keeping track of why certain things were happening. And it wasn’t helped that much of the context for the story is scattered thinly across it. Some more dense narrations where we find out why this all came to be would have been greatly appreciated.
Unfortunately, I don’t think this does enough to count as a journey/travel type of story. It’s about the process of getting ready to time travel, but the most we get is the time travel jump itself. We don’t see any of the past environments, and the machine being used takes up only a few pages.