The shot on the Niki was pretty darn close to a HO, honestly. I usually prefer to hold fire in that situations. Throw a little lag in and a close HO becomes a HO on the other pilot's FE. Of course, it all depends on what you want to do, there are times when it's almost unavoidable, especially if you have lot of cons around. I wouldn't have fired in your place, but that's just me.
Btw, impressive aim with that cannon, I wish I could fire it like that!