"Of course not, sir."
"Here are untried, absolutely new diagrams. We must build. That is our purpose. Now, we will begin. The—larger one first, I think."
They labored on the project for three months. They finished the structure in the large vat first, and Markten left the job of completing the smaller one to his assistant while he drained the larger vat of its original fluid, dried the completed structure, and placed a series of L-type electrodes at various spots on its exterior.
"The smaller one came out to look quite a lot different, Markten. I'll have it ready for the first series of charges by the time you have that one going. I don't understand, however, what good the charges will do when there isn't any power source to activate."
"Making either of them work might be a problem, but somehow I don't think so," Markten replied. "The whole set-up, devoid of any central power unit as it seems to be, is designed in such a way that electrochemical reactions of some sort should take place with the first series of charges. A few rearrangements of electrodes might be necessary...."
During the next four hours, Markten's assistant worked with extra speed, so that he was able to have the smaller vat drained and the electrode placement diagramed for his own use.
"Through what process of logic," he asked Markten as he neared his last set of adjustments, "did you make your decision concerning a primary charge for the inducement of the electrochemical reactions of which you spoke?"
"You may inscribe in your apprentice journal," the Elder said, as he prepared a dynamo for use, "that insofar as the logic of the situation was concerned, I simply applied the physical truth that an object at rest tends to remain at rest until acted upon by some outside force. Since the objects in this case are ingredients of a chemical nature specifically constructed for electrical conduction, the only possible solution is to activate them through application of an electromotive force. If the logic has been faulty, of course," Markten paused a moment, "then we will know that there has simply been an error in construction. However, we have been precise in every step. They will work."
"What they will do, naturally, rests in theory. Something of an electrical nature, in accordance with your logic. Correct?"