Put the game into windowed mode. That should let the messages pop to the front.
Yep. You can even make a carrier come out, which launches its own in an orgy of infinite looping. But you could still launch a carrier that launches only common fighters, and it would only be a little bit crazy
Fighter components are the same as ship components.
What they choose is based on the enemy ship design files. The fighters are mixed in with the ships, bases and sats.
Any vehicle that is not piloted by you personally is found in the "enemy" designs. Only stuff that you buy & fly is in the "player" designs.