So in the book The Cole Protocol, Lieutenant Keyes managed to save the lives of many ODSTs from the Insurrection attack. And a while afterwards, out of nowhere, the Helljumpers tackled him from both sides, dragged him to one of the quarters and gave him an ODST Kanji tattoo, albeit a bit forcibly.
So what was the deal with these guys? If they wanted Keyes as a part of their group, they could’ve at least asked. It’s like they have a strange way of showing their appreciation for saving their lives.
Was a while ago I listened to this book. So my memory of this is very vague.
Did Keyes know the two troopers personally? Maybe they understood him well enough to know he’d find it amusing and be ok with it.
As their superior he could have probably ordered them to stop once he understood what was going on right?
As other have noted, the behavior of the marines in these stories often shows that they value comradery above all else. Keyes, having saved them, would have been deemed worthy of this right-of-passage-esque tattoo.
The lack of consent could be summed up to the fact that regardless of what Keyes wanted, those ODSTs wanted him to be known as having earned their respect. So, in the future, if anyone caught a glimpse of that tat, they’d know what was up.