Something I wondered since 2.0 that was never resolved

[Titor]

During Nero's first introductory scene (during the envoy quest) he mentioned "Codename Hummingway", killed a guy, and it was never heard of again. What was this about? Was it an Ala Mhigan resistance group? Was it some guy that was trying to overthrow Gaius? There was no buildup to this scene, and no further mention of it. I was hoping that this would be mentioned again in 4.x with the liberation of Ala Mhigo or something, but it was not brought up again.

Did this line solely exist to show that Nero would kill someone without much remorse? It was just such an odd character buildup to never mention or follow up with again. I don't know, this had always been a loose end to me that I wish had been more elaborated on.

[Enkidoh]

The engineer 'Hummingway' really was a mole for the Ala Mhigan Resistance - it's why Nero asked the engineers their birthplaces and the other guy simply said "Othard", Nero was trying to find an Ala Mhigan spy that his Frumentari intelligence unit had uncovered, and when Hummingway (foolishly) mentioned he was Ala Mhigan (and also based on his nervous disposition), it was pretty clear that he was mole (the player actually encountered the Frumentari much later in the 2.0 story where you have to kill a unit of them who were snooping around the Church of Saint Adama Landama when the player's character was hiding out there after Livia's raid on the Waking Sands).

And unfortunately, that is Garlean military practice - summary and immediate execution for the slightest infraction or insubordination without trial, so yes, it was also to show just how nasty the Garlean Empire really is. So yes it was also to show how ruthless top officers like Nero are.

[Cilia]

A little bit of context is required. Just a little.

During that same cutscene, Nero has this to say right before killing the man:

I assure you - Frumentarium sees all.

Garlemald's social and military structures are somewhat based on Rome. Following this, we can look up Frumentarii. They were the Roman secret service, originally wheat collectors - they used their position to learn a lot about the local land, its people, etc. Spies, in other words. This little scene is used to show Nero's intelligence and ruthlessness - he correctly identifies an Ala Mhigan spy and then executes him, presumably having used information supplied by the Frumentarium (or being ex-Frumenarium himself) to do so. "Codename Hummingway" was the spy's callsign - Codename "Hummingway."

[Anonymoose]

Enkidoh and Cilia nailed the "What was up with that?" aspect of it (Double agent caught by Frumentarium and executed on the spot), but I'd like to throw in one minor tid-bit based from the "Why did that never come up again?" angle.

In the Palace of the Dead, you'll occasionally stumble across dead storyline NPCs . The Emaciated Engineer is actually Hummingway; when you defeat him he says. "Ala Mhigo, it... it burns..." cementing the speculations about his loyalties.

Tangentially related trivia: the Othardian engineer is actually from Dalmasca.