What happens if I ...

[Echo Mirage]

Cloak a space station and throw some fighter bays on it? Will the fighters deploy to defend my base and planet?

[Suicide Junkie]

If combat occurs in the sector, the base will be detected, and fight as if it were decloaked.

It will be a nice surprise for the enemy, though

[Echo Mirage]

So in order for combat to occur I would have to have an uncloaked unit, such as a weapon platform, ship or whatever?

[Taera]

yep.
it can also be sats though....
now thats nasty - put one sat launcher on your base and one, decoy, on your ships. you retreat, make the base launch the sats and then cloak again... if the enemy comes for them.... lol

[Krsqk]

You need something in the sector which the enemy can detect. Alternatively, if the enemy is sitting in the sector with your cloaked station, I think you can hit attack.

[PvK]

Attack won't do that in a simultaneous game, though - the cloaked attacking unit will just follow the target until something triggers combat.

A colony is also enough to trigger combat (and in the unmodded game, can't be cloaked) - no units required.

PvK